A Reflection
by Ominae
Summary: Rie Yamabishi makes a personal reflection on what she thinks about Yu and ARCAM after the incidents in Japan in her journal.


Striker/Spriggan: A Reflection

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Striker/Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. I exclusively own the rights to the characters Mark Sy

Summary:

Rie Yamabishi makes a personal reflection on what she thinks about Yu and ARCAM after the incidents in Japan in her journal. A one shot story.

- Journal Entry-

It's been a long, long time since the last time I saw Yu back in Japan. Back then, he was a nice and caring person who would look after me in case some of the orphans were teasing me. After that, Yu had just disappeared from my life for quite a while now. I once was mad about him leaving the orphanage that I locked myself in my room until the end of the day. I moved on as I grew up with my relatives in the US, but I still kept thinking about Yu. I really missed him back then.

Then I was in luck. An ARCAM representative came to my office back in Cornell University and told me that Yu was living in Japan as a high school student as I've told my contacts to see if they can find a Yu Ominae for me. With that information, I informed him to make contact with the head of ARCAM's Japan branch. A few weeks later, I was told that a Chairman Yamamoto would take care of my flight, especially with the plane ticket. Getting back to Japan was not a happy experience (at least, for a few days) for me. The CIA, the FSB and other armed groups were after me for my linguistic knowledge of unlocking the mystery of the Fire Orb, a strange artifact dating from years ago. I've heard rumors that it can be used to manipulate all active volcanoes throughout the world. I was now scared about being kidnapped. I could still remember the day that I left the conference room from a briefing with Chairman Yamamoto. The kid who was with him, he seemed calm from the day that he saved my life from the CIA operatives back in Narita International Airport. He was very kind and a gentleman, he risked his life for me many times and he seemed to be confident. But there was one event that I would never forget.

It was the same day that I had to go to my office in the ARCAM Japan building. Chairman Yamamoto was very kind enough to set it up for me. From the time that the elevator doors opened in front of me, I was traumatized from what I saw. Two ARCAM guards were slumped on the wall with their throats slashed with their blood oozing out. Holding the elevator doors was a big and muscular man. He had a respirator, a ballistic helmet and a sort of armored suit on him with a grenade launcher in his hands. If that kid didn't save me, I'd be in big trouble by now. Even until now, that image still haunts me. I can't think enough but to say sorry for the families of the ARCAM guards killed in the line of duty. I was informed by ARCAM security that the big men that I saw were from the US Armored Corps, an elite group of American soldiers that use armored suits in their covert missions. To this day, the US Army and the Pentagon still deny accusations from the ARCAM Board of Directors that the US Armored Corps had intentionally planned to kidnap me. I still pray to the souls of the dead guards in hope that they would rest easily.

Anyway, Chairman Yamamoto told me one day in his office that it would be for the best if I head to Mount Fuji with an escort in order to destroy or seal it away as soon as possible. I've managed to decipher most of the data that the Chairman had provided for me; it mentioned a mound near the foot of Mount Fuji that was secretly hidden from civilization with the helpf of preliminary data that he had for me. I took a helicopter in order to get to the place with the kid who saved my life. My thanks for him was cut short when a rocket slammed into our chopper. Unfortunately, the only way out was to rappel down as he held me with one arm and the other on the rope. We were able to get to safety, but the chopper pilot and his navigator didn't make it out. Yet, another image that haunts me to this day. Like what happened to the ARCAM guards, I continue to pray for their souls to rest peacefully.

As we searched for the secret mound, we were heavily pursued by Russian Spetsnaz soldiers lead by a Japanese national named Koichi Moroha of the former KGB. I can't believe him, selling his own country out to the big players for the sake of attaining power. He abducted me from my hiding place that the kid had provided for me while he fought the Spetsnaz commandos to the death. I still feel angry at Moroha up to this day for sealing me inside the mound after I was forced to translate the inscriptions inside with the help of the Fire Orb. As I was sealed inside, I could hear the ranting taking place outside the mound and I was not burned, concluding that the mound was fire proof. But I couldn't see. I kept praying and praying, hoping that the kid would eventually rescue me from him. Then my prayers were heard, the fire surrounding the mound eventually faded and my savior was there, placed the Fire Orb back onthe mound before he removed the rope that tied my wrists behind me. Then I uttered to the kid his name, _Ominae_. I did some research on my own since I suspected that Chairman Yamamoto fabricated some of the reports so that I wouldn't know that Yu is a Striker agent.

I was a bit shocked at first. But then I understood why Yu had to do it. He wanted to make our world a safer place for all of us. Since with all the advanced machines that an ancient civilization has left to us years ago, it makes me wonder on the possibility that a rogue state or a terrorist group could ever come to possess these sophisticated artifacts. In the end, I decided to resign from my position as professor of linguistics at Cornell University and moved back to Japan. Despite a second kidnapping attempt by the COSMOS unit, Chairman Yamamoto was able to get me a job as a linguistics specialist in 2000 after Yu, Jean, Oboro and Mark were able to rescue me from their headquarters, which happened to be an American base. Yu was, for some time, my personal bodyguard since he was my childhood friend. But later on, I became friends with Jean Jacquemonde. Ominae warned me that he was a cocky guy. But in truth, he really was a nice guy and he personally told me himself that he'll try and contact me if anything happens to Ominae. I was touched by what he said and I said my thanks to him. I also met up with Philippine Striker Mark Sy and his brother in order to thank them for saving my life. He was of Chinese descent and I met him twice when he had to join Yu in his missions. He was kind and a gentleman, unlike Yu of course.

Well, it's two year now since I became a linguistics specialist back in my homeland. I'm happy with my work and I have Yu to support me. Right now, he plans to enter Stanford University to get a degree in Political Science in the near future. I'm helping him get his papers in order so that he could head for the US. But I'm worried for him because ARCAM Strikers are blacklisted by most law enforcement agencies and national militaries of most countries. Chairman Yamamoto assured me that the US Army and the ARCAM Board of Directors have worked out a deal in which they'll forget about Yu's involvement with the US Armored Corps. back when he was in 2nd year high school. Anyway, he had his student visa approved by the American embassy and Chairman Yamamoto said that they'll hold a party for him in a few weeks before he leaves for California.

I will be alone again. I say my personal goodbyes to him as the days pass by. For the last time, I'm going to say goodbye to a friend who had been there for me for a long time now. I hope that he will be safe. May God bless him and watch over him. Same thing goes with Jean too. But I must say that I have certain feelings towards Mark. I mean, he looks at me like a sister that he never had. He was lonely for most of his life. I hope that I can help him also somehow.

Godspeed, guys

Rie Yamabishi,

ARCAM Linguistics Specialist

January 22, 2002

THE END


End file.
